culture shockers: Can Al Gore really stay green after building a $9 million mansion?

Former Vice President Al Gore has been an important figure in the environmental movement, helping to catalyze a global dialogue about climate change with the acclaimed film An Inconvenient Truth.

With the recent purchase of an almost $9 million Montecito villa, critics of Al Gore have raised eyebrows about the environmental leader’s own carbon footprint. The house sits on a 1.5 acre lot, which overlooks the ocean, and comes complete with a swimming pool, five bedrooms and nine bathrooms. However, this isn’t the first time that questions have been raised about Gore’s lifestyle contradicting his environmental message.

Gore’s efforts to demonstrate how homes can be green hasn’t silenced his critics. One conservative blogger has posted photos of what he believes to be the lavish Montecito house, referring to Gore and other climate change advocates with the slur “climatards.”

Hopefully, Gore decides to green his Montecito home or opt for a smaller one, otherwise his detractors may be right that his carbon footprint isn’t befitting a climate change crusader.